“It was hard and I doubted myself at times, but I knew what I was doing was right,” talented BYU shooting guard Tyler Haws said in a profile video recently posted on NCAA's website.
Haws, who took a two- year break from basketball to serve a mission in the Philippines, doesn't regret his decision.
He recalls a few of the things he learned by serving the people. "I felt like I wanted to put my influence on the people, but really, they were the ones that influenced me. They taught me so many life lessons, taught me how to be happy. You know that if you have your family and you have something to eat every day and you have God, there’s not much else you need in life to be happy.”
Now Haws is back on the court, and with a lot of hard work has continued to excel in the sport he loves. Haws' father, Marty, is also proud of his son's decision. “For someone to take a two-year timeout to go on a mission, it’s a big commitment. There are no guarantees on the back end. You don’t get to come back bigger, stronger, faster. In a lot of ways you come back and you start over," he says.
But for Tyler, his mission will have a lasting impact on his life on and off the court. Of his experience returning he said, “I think I exceeded my expectations. I really felt like I was a better basketball player. I felt like I understood the game better and was in a better mental spot than I was my freshman season. I felt like I grew up a lot on my mission.”
Click here to watch Tyler Haws talk about his mission experience on the NCAA website.